Why vitamin D, Vitamin C, and Zinc, are important when it comes to the common cold, flu, and perhaps with this novel coronavirus that’s causing COVID-19? Well, vitamin D doesn’t affect these viruses themselves. Instead, it affects our immune systems. So what is my recommendation for taking Vitamin D? The best thing to do is check with your doctor to see if you might have low vitamin D, and if it is low, you’ll def need to get more vitamin D, especially during the winter months.
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Vitamin C. it is a water-soluble vitamin that is vital to the function of white blood cells that help to fight infections, and overall immune system health. Vitamin C is also important for iron absorption, and being deficient in iron can make you more vulnerable to infections in general.
The normal, recommended daily intake of vitamin C for adults from the diet and/or supplements is 75 to 120 mg. You can get about 80 to 90 mg from a cup of orange juice or sliced orange, or even more from kiwi fruit, or a cup of sweet peppers. Zinc. it has become one of the most popular suggestions for reducing symptoms of coronavirus.
There have been conflicting results about the effect of zinc on the severity and duration of cold symptoms. Some studies showed that zinc reduces the duration of a cold by half, while others showed no effect. Another study found that the type of zinc taken determined the result—zinc gluconate lozenges that provided 13.3 milligrams of zinc lessened the duration of colds, but zinc acetate lozenges that provided 5 mg or 11.5 mg of zinc did not.
Here are a few of the vitamin C rich superfoods to start stocking up on, according to the USDA national nutrient database, many of which are low in calories but full of nutrients beyond just vitamin C.
1 cup of black currant has 203 milligrams of vitamin c, 1 cup of red pepper contains 190 milligrams of vitamin c.
1 cup of kiwi has 164 milligrams of vitamin c.
1 fruit of guava almost has 126 milligrams of vitamin c.
1 cup of Green Bell Pepper has 120 milligrams of Vitamin C.
1 large Orange has 98 milligrams of vitamin C
1 cup strawberries contain 89 milligrams of vitamin c.
1 cup of papaya salad contains 87 milligrams of vitamin c.
1 cup of raw broccoli has 81 milligrams of vitamin c.
And, 1 medium-size lemon fruit contains 45 milligrams of vitamin c.
Next, Here are a few of the top sources to make sure you’re meeting your daily needs for this important fat-soluble vitamin, which is Vitamin D, 5–30 minutes of sun exposure at least twice per week then your body will able to make at least 1,000 IU of vitamin D.
1 tablespoon of cod liver oil will have 1,360 IU of vitamin D, 3 ounces of wild-caught salmon contains 447 IU of vitamin D, 3 ounces of mackerel has 306 IU of vitamin D.
3 ounces of Tuna Fish contains 154 IU of vitamin D 1 cup of fortified milk has 124 IU of vitamin D, 2 sardines contain 47 IU of Vitamin D.
3 ounces of beef liver contains 42 IU of Vitamin D 1 egg contains 41 IU of Vitamin D, And, 1 cup fortified cereals contain 40 IU of vitamin D.
Now Let see the list of food that is rich in Zinc, The best way to achieve optimal zinc levels is to consume two to three servings of these zinc foods per day, 3 ounces of lamb has 6.7 milligrams of Zinc, 1 cup of pumpkin seeds has 6.6 milligrams of Zinc.
1 ounce of Hemp Seed contains 5 milligrams of Zinc, 100 grams of Grass-fed beef contains 4.5 milligrams of Zinc,
1 cup chickpeas have 2.5 milligrams of zinc,
1 cup of Lentils has 2.5 milligrams of Zinc,
1 ounce of Cocoa Powder contains 1.9 milligrams of Zinc.
1 ounce of Cashews contains 1.6 milligrams of Zinc,
1 cup of Kefir or Yogurt contains 1.4 milligrams of Zinc,
And, ½ cup of Ricotta Cheese contains 1.4 milligrams of zinc.
Above mentioned foods are more helpful to improve your immune system and fight back against cold, flu and Coronavirus or COVID-19.
If you have any respiratory problems like coughing, wheezing or difficulty breathing, kindly make sure to contact a trusted healthcare professional, Have Healthy a Life,
9 Signs Your Body Needs More Vitamin C
One of the best ways you can give your body a boost and help keep it’s defences up against illness is by eating healthy food. Food that contains essential vitamins and minerals that keep your body strong. One of those important vitamins is vitamin C.
Is vitamin C really that important? Can it help prevent things like cancer? How common is vitamin C deficiency? We’re gonna answer all this and more in today’s video, so keep watching until the end. Here’s 9 Signs Your Body Needs More Vitamin C.
#1 Nosebleeds Nosebleeds are no fun, that’s for sure. Do you get them often? It could just be the fact that the blood vessels in your nose are just naturally weaker than usual, or, it could be a vitamin C deficiency. Vitamin C helps your body produce collagen, which helps to strengthen your blood vessels. The less vitamin C in your body the more likely you are to have weaker blood vessels and if they’re located in your nose, then that’s why your nose bleeds so often.
#2 Odd Shaped Body Hair Ok this one is pretty weird, but when’s the last time you’ve checked out the shape of your body hair? Doesn’t matter if you have a lot or a little if it’s growing in weird ways it could be due to a vitamin C deficiency. The most common shapes to look out for are either bent or coiled hairs. This happens because the lack of vitamin C affects the protein structure of the hair. If you catch an odd looking corkscrew shaped hair that’s a pretty key sign.
However they’re hard to catch sometimes because the damaged hairs usually just fall out or break off. The good news is that once you replenish your body with Vitamin C this symptom will naturally go away. Are you enjoying this list so far? Just wait until the next point, it’s very strange.
#3 Sore, Bleeding and Swollen Gums Ouch, this one sounds painful! You might mistake this one for gingivitis in the beginning, but if you have a healthy oral routine and you see no improvement in the health of your gums, it’s probably linked to your vitamin C intake.
Again, collagen is something your gums also need to stay healthy, and vitamin C directly contributes to the body’s production of collagen. If your body is lacking your gums can’t heal properly and will continue to bleed. If your gums are swollen, that’s because of inflammation. Vitamin C has antioxidant properties so it can combat this swelling and inflammation, too. Vitamin C deficiency might also cause your body to be deficient in another important mineral.
#4 Anemia or Iron Deficiency Vitamin C Deficiency and Anemia often go hand in hand. Vitamin C can help your body absorb iron, but if you’re low in vitamin C it can make it harder for your body to keep its iron levels up. One study showed that pairing 100mg of vitamin C while eating a meal that was rich in iron improved iron absorption by a whopping 67%. Unfortunately if your body is low on vitamin C it can cause your body to bleed more often like the nosebleeds and swollen gums we talked about earlier. This excess bleeding can up the risk of anemia as well. There’s a few other symptoms that are related to both iron and vitamin C deficiency.
#5 Spoon Shaped or Dipped Nail Beds Have you taken a good look at your fingernails lately? Are they a bit odd shaped? How about spoon shaped? If you find they dip in the middle and are also thin and brittle this could be a sign of either a vitamin C deficiency, anemia or both. There may also be some red lines or spots on the nail beds. If your nails are looking a bit weird, it could definitely be a vitamin C issue. Another symptom of both iron and vitamin C deficiency is…
#6 Feeling Tired or Moody While this is a symptom of many, many things we can’t rule out a lack of vitamin C. After All it could be an easy fix, or it could be an indicator of something more serious. Vitamin C does play a role in the production of energy and your mood. One study suggests that upping your intake of vitamin C could directly impact how you’re feeling and boost your mood. But, if you’re experiencing chronic fatigue and a boost in your vitamin C levels isn’t helping, we would recommend that you take it seriously and speak to a professional.
#7 Your Body Takes A Long Time To Heal If you’re noticing that cuts and scrapes take a very long time to heal you might want to increase the vitamin C in your diet. Vitamin C directly contributes to the body’s immune system. Vitamin C helps protect you against infection and speeds up the time wounds take to heal. Not to mention it helps with the way the scars will look after because, as we’ve mentioned, vitamin C helps with collagen production making the skin strong and smooth.
#8 Dry Hair and Split Ends We all want silky smooth locks, and when you’re giving your body all the right vitamins and nutrients it will usually reward you with clear skin and shiny hair. Once again collagen is to blame for dry brittle hair. Collagen gives hair its strength and vitamin C will boost your body’s collagen production.
#9 Weight Gain It seems like everything can cause you to gain weight, and unfortunately a vitamin C deficiency is no different. Remember when we talked about how lack of vitamin C can cause you to feel tired? Well that can contribute to a lack of energy and will make getting up and working out MUCH more difficult.
Not to mention your metabolism will respond to a lack of vitamin C by slowing down making it harder to keep the weight off. Where To Get Vitamin C Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin which means you need to get it from an outside source. Your body doesn’t create it. Since your body can’t stock up on this vitamin it’s pretty easy to become deficient. Keep in mind don’t go overboard on the vitamin C intake.
Your body can’t store it so any extra will be of no use to you. Try and stick with the recommended daily intake or RDI of vitamin C which is 90mg for men and 75mg for women. Keep in mind eating fruit and vegetables raw is usually the best way to get the most nutritional benefit. Here’s a few simple ways you can boost your daily vitamin C intake: Lemon Water: One of the easiest ways is to add some lemon to your water.
Drinking water is vital to your health. Since you have to drink it daily anyway, why not give your water a boost and add some vitamin C. You can cut a few slices and stick it in your water bottle, or you can squeeze the juice from the lemon itself. Adding lemon to hot water or tea is also a great source.
Red Peppers: The Sweeter the better! Did you know a cup of raw red pepper contains more vitamin C than an orange? One cup of red pepper can provide you with 317% or your recommended daily intake. While a cup of orange will only give you 160%. That’s still really good though, so if you prefer oranges to peppers that’s okay. If you haven’t tried eating red pepper raw you’ll likely be surprised at how sweet they can be.
For the most vitamin C try slicing up a few peppers and dip them in some humus for a tasty, healthy snack. Try to avoid creamy dressings for dipping fruit and veggies as that can add unnecessary calories and sugar. Acerola Cherry or Barbados Cherry:
This is a type of cherry you may be unfamiliar with. Experts are calling it an untapped superfruit and it’s one of the best sources of vitamin C on the planet. If you were to eat a cup of these cherries that would be almost 3000% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C. Yup, you heard that right. This fruit is also rich with phytonutrients like cartinoids, anthocyanins and flavonoids.
All of which help to fight off disease and keep you healthy. You can get it in a bunch or in powder form. Although, we always recommend getting your nutrients and vitamins from eating whole, unprocessed foods to get the best health benefits.
Do you think you have a vitamin C deficiency? What is your favourite source of vitamin C? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you!